Usakowski, 44, who lives in St. Clair County, said the fair had given his daughters a grand stage on which to compete. This year, they have been limited to county fairs and competitions run by the American Rabbit Breeders Association.
Like those in other states, the Michigan fair had its roots in agrarian fairs in Europe, where farmers met to discuss farming techniques and equipment. As waves of immigrants came to the United States, they influenced the fairs, which added ethnic foods and other attractions.
One thing that hurt the Michigan fair was the state’s economy. Michigan’s unemployment rate of 15.2 percent led the nation in August 2009 when the last fair was held. Detroit’s jobless rate is about 30 percent.
But part of the problem also seems to have been the fair’s inability to successfully marry its agrarian roots with money-making entertainment as other state fairs have done.
“State fairs, like the one in Iowa, attendance is up or steady because they have been made as major tourist attractions,’’ said Pam Riney-Kehrberg, professor of agriculture history and rural studies at Iowa State University.
The 11-day Iowa State Fair drew about 970,000 this year. Along with typical fair fare, including livestock judging, a cow sculpted from butter, and chicken- and husband-calling contests, it had a musical lineup led by country music star Keith Urban and pop singer Sheryl Crow.
In contrast, the Michigan fair’s top entertainers last year were the aging rockers in Starship and Survivor, along with Billy Squier.
“The Michigan State Fair being canceled, that’s just tragic,’’ said Jerry Hammer, general manager of the Minnesota State Fair.
He thought one problem was the fair’s reliance on state subsidies because when those ended, the fair essentially collapsed.
In Michigan, agriculture remains the number two industry behind manufacturing, and the state is among the nation’s leaders in production of sugar beets, cherries, apples, corn, and other produce. Smaller fairs continue to celebrate that heritage, and at least one appears to have benefited from the state fair’s closing.
